1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facsimile transmission system including a personal computer and a facsimile transmission device.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, a variety of application software has become commercially available for converting text data prepared by application software installed in a personal computer into facsimile transmission data and then transmitting the facsimile transmission data in a facsimile transmission. Two methods are known for performing a facsimile transmission using a fax transmission application and a command of a personal computer.
According to a first method, the personal computer is connected to a public circuit (telephone) network and is mounted with a fax modem card for performing fax transmission.
According to a second method, the personal computer is connected to a fax transmission device. The personal computer sends the fax data and such necessary information, where the fax data is to be transmitted to the fax transmission device, whereupon the fax transmission device performs the fax transmission.
However, during a facsimile transmission using the first method, other applications of the personal computer either can not be performed or else the operation speed of the other applications is reduced while the fax data is being transmitted over the public telephone network.
Also, a user wishes to print out the facsimile message on a sheet of paper. In this case, the user has to take the time and effort to send text data of the facsimile message from the personal computer to a printer connected to the personal computer. Also, in this case, the print out is printed based on text data, not fax data. When a bug exists in the fax transmission application, the data sent in the actual facsimile transmission may be meaningless. However, the user would never know this because the transmitted fax data is different from the text data used to print out the facsimile message.
On the other hand, during a facsimile transmission using the second method, the personal computer is freed up as soon as the personal computer sends the fax data to the fax transmission terminal. Therefore, operation speed of the personal computer is not reduced. However, when the user wishes to print out a copy of the facsimile message, the user has to perform operations to send the text data of the facsimile message and also a print command to the printer. Therefore, the same troublesome operations are required as described for the first method. Also, the fax data actually transmitted may not match the printed out text data.
It is an objective of the present invention to insure that contents of a print output of data prepared using an application software package installed in a personal computer be the same as fax data transmitted in a facsimile transmission, and that this can be accomplished using simple operations.
In order to attain the above and other objects, the present invention provides a facsimile transmission system, comprising: a personal computer including: means for converting text data into facsimile data; means for outputting the facsimile data as transmission data; means for outputting a send command to transmit the transmission data to a designated address; and means for outputting a print command to print out the transmission data; and a facsimile transmission terminal including: means for receiving the transmission data transferred from the personal computer and for storing the transmission data in a transmission data storage area; means, in response to the send command, for transmitting the transmission data to the designated address; and means, in response to the print command, for converting the transmission data into data for printing, and for printing out the data for printing.
For example, the facsimile transmission system may include a personal computer and a facsimile transmission terminal. The personal computer may be installed with an application software for preparing data and converting the data into fax data. The personal computer transmits the fax data to the facsimile transmission terminal, which then transmits the fax data to a remote device.
With the above-described structure, text data, for example, may be produced at the personal computer using an application program, for example, installed in the personal computer. The text data or the like is then converted into transmission data of a facsimile format. After transferring the transmission data to the facsimile transmission terminal, when the print command is outputted to the facsimile transmission terminal, the transmission data, maintained in the transmission data storage area, is converted into data for printing, and is printed out. It is therefore possible to retain a print output having a content the same as the data to be transmitted to the remote device. When viewing the print output and confirming that the text data or the like has been properly converted into the facsimile format, the personal computer may be simply controlled to output the send command. In response to the send command, the facsimile transmission terminal will transmit the transmission data to the designated address. Thus, it is unnecessary for the personal computer to retransmit the transmission data to the facsimile transmission terminal. It is sufficient that the transmission data be transmitted only once. Operability is enhanced.
The personal computer may include means for outputting a deletion command to delete the transmission data from the transmission data storage area. The facsimile transmission terminal may include means, in response to the deletion command, for deleting the transmission data from the transmission data storage area.
With this structure, the facsimile transmission terminal will retain the transmission data until receiving the deletion command even after transmitting the transmission data to the designated address. Accordingly, even after outputting the send command, if the print command is issued, the facsimile terminal will produce a print output.
The facsimile transmission terminal may further include means for receiving a user""s inputted send command. The transmission means may transmit the transmission data to the designated address also in response to the user""s inputted send command. After controlling the facsimile transmission terminal to produce the print output, the user can operate an operation portion of the facsimile transmission terminal to input the send command, thereby controlling the facsimile transmission terminal to transmit the transmission data to the designated address. It becomes unnecessary for the user to return to the personal computer.
The facsimile transmission terminal may further include means for receiving a user""s inputted deletion command. The deleting means may delete the transmission data also in response to the user""s inputted deletion command. The user can operate the operation portion of the facsimile transmission terminal to input the deletion command. Accordingly, if the user views the print output and knows errors in the print output, the user can immediately inputs his/her command to control the facsimile terminal to delete the transmission data. The user can also input his/her command to delete the data immediately after inputting his/her command to transmit the data. It becomes unnecessary for the user to return to the personal computer.
The personal computer may further include means for outputting a first command to print the transmission data and to transmit the transmission data to the designated address. The facsimile transmission terminal may further include first control means for controlling, in response to the first command, the print means to convert the transmission data into data for printing and then to print the data for printing and the transmission means to transmit the transmission data to the designated address.
With this structure, in response to the first command that is outputted from the personal computer only once, a print output of the transmission data can be produced and the transmission data can be transmitted to the designated address. The operability of the facsimile transmission is greatly enhanced.
The first control means may include means for deleting the transmission data from the transmission data storage area after the transmission data is transmitted to the designated address. After the transmission data is printed and transmitted, the transmission data is automatically deleted. The transmission data storage area will not be occupied by transmission data, that has already been transmitted to the designated address. The storage area can be effectively used.
The facsimile transmission terminal may further include means for receiving a user""s inputted first command. The user can operate the operation portion of the facsimile transmission terminal to input his/her first command. When the user simply inputs the first command only once, the facsimile transmission terminal can print, transmit, and delete transmission data. Operability of the system is enhanced.
The personal computer may further include means for outputting a second command to print the transmission data, to display a message asking a user whether or not the transmission data is to be transmitted to the designated address, and to transmit the transmission data to the designated address when a transmission instruction is inputted in response to the message. The facsimile transmission terminal may further include: means for receiving an instruction inputted by the user; means for displaying the message; and second control means for controlling, in response to the second command, the print means to convert the transmission data into data for printing and then to print the data for printing, the display means to display the message, and the transmission means to transmit the transmission data to the designated address when the transmission instruction is received by the instruction receiving means.
With this structure, in response to the second command outputted from the personal computer only once, a print output of the transmission data can be produced, and if the user confirms that the print output is acceptable and inputs his/her transmission instruction, the transmission data will be immediately transmitted to the designated address. The operability of the facsimile transmission is greatly enhanced. It is sufficient that the user inputs his/her instruction based on his/her observed print output.
The second control means may include means for deleting the transmission data from the transmission data storage area after the transmission data is transmitted to the designated address or after the instruction receiving means receives another instruction not to transmit the transmission data to the designated address.
After the transmission data is printed out and transmitted or after the transmission data is printed out and not transmitted, the transmission data is automatically deleted. The transmission data will not occupy the transmission storage area in vain.
The second control means may further include means for deleting the transmission data when the instruction indicating whether the transmission data is to be transmitted or not is not inputted to the instruction inputting means within a predetermined period of time.
Accordingly, in the case where no instruction is inputted, the time period when the storage area is occupied with the transmission data can be limited to the predetermined time period.
The facsimile transmission terminal may further include means for receiving a user""s inputted second command. The user can operate the operation portion of the facsimile transmission terminal to input his/her second command. When the user inputs the second command only once, the facsimile transmission terminal can print, transmit or cancel transmitting, and delete transmission data. Operability of the system is enhanced.